Sicily Senseless

I think Sicily was an interesting experience. At the end of the first of our four days in Sicily, I realized just how little planning I had done for this part of the trip. (waaah!) My lack of preparation combined with a lot of unexpected twists made out for an interesting trip. It was not quite the vacation we were hoping for, but to put it in the best light, it was an experience.

06.11.2009, FRIDAY: We started the day with a 5AM taxi ride to Ciampino airport in Rome. We got there so early, the check in desk wasn’t even open yet! Our flight to Sicily was less than an hour, and we arrived in Trapani airport around 9:30 AM. The airport was in the middle of nowhere - green fields as far as the eye could see. We took a 2-hour bus ride to Palermo. We had no idea where we wanted to get off the bus - it hadn’t occurred to me that the bus could stop anywhere, and our hotel could be... anywhere!

The bus stopped in what seemed like a main plaza, so with uncertainty we stepped off. We asked stranger after stranger if they knew where the street of our hotel was, and it was a miracle we found it. It turned out to be not too far away from where we got off the bus. We checked in, and the hotel surpassed our expectations. It was very clean and modern. I just wish the city itself lived up to that same standard.

We were so hungry after the travel-crazy morning. We followed the guidebook’s advice an ate at this small traditional Sicilian restaurant. Mom ordered the Sicilian specialty Sardine pasta, and at the suggestion of the owner, I ordered the fish of the day. We had a pleasant meal, the food was good although I wasn’t too big a fan of the sardine pasta. It was enjoyable until we got the bill - 50 euros!! (~$75!!!!) We were shocked! It turns out that sneaky owner did not tell me that the fish was 6 euro... per kilo. She didn’t bother to ask me how much I wanted... a total of 24 euros for my fish alone. I almost died. My fish was close to 36 dollars!!! With heavy hearts and full tummies we dragged ourselves outside to explore the city.

Palermo. wow. It’s difficult to describe. The easiest way is with two words: hella. dirty. Unknown to us at the time, the Mafia influenced a garbage collection strike so the entire city was piled high with foul rubbish. We tried our best to tour around the historic center, but frustration got the better of us. We took sanctuary in our hotel room by 3:30 PM, and we went to sleep by 6PM.
Thus ended our first day in Sicily.

The next day, Saturday 07.11.2009, we left Palermo for good. It was a long 4 hour bus ride to Catania, a city on the eastern coast of the island. We fell into the same problem we had the day before. The bus dropped us off, this time in the transportation area of town, and we had no idea how to get to the hotel. I asked a kindly man at the nearby coffee shop if he knew where our hotel was because we were lost, and three concerned Italians went out of their way to help us find the right address, call the hotel, and call a cab. Thanks to those genuinely nice people, we made it safely to our hotel.

Touring Catania was a better experience than Palermo, but I think we were 'touristically-scarred' from our experience the day before. We walked down what was supposed to be the main street at around 2:30 PM... at the peak of siesta time (Yeup. Italy has siesta). We walked to the duomo, or big church, had coffee and dessert, and then toured the ruins of an ancient Greek theater.

As the daylight faded, we decided to start walking back to the hotel. We turned back on the main street Via Etnea, and we were surprised! The dead street was now a lively pedestrian highway full of great shops and crawling with people. Our moods picked up considerably and we enjoyed our night window shopping and people watching. We picked up food from a local grocery store and had a feast in our hotel room, while watching an 80’s-early90’s American movie dubbed in Italian.

08.11.2009, Sunday: Today was church day, and since service was at 1pm, we couldn’t do anything touristy that day. We took our time walking and taking pictures on our way to find the chapel. Worship service was spiritual and uplifting. Afterward, we talked with some brethren and ended up having dinner at Subway at the US navy base near Catania with Ka Rowena & her family.

Monday 09.11.2009 was our last day in Sicily. We didn’t have the opportunity to get to Syracuse or Argrigento (sp?) for lack of time and a poorly planned itinerary. Our return to Rome was a long, multipart journey. 4 hour bus back to Palermo, from there another 2 hour bus to Trapani. However, we accidentally took the wrong bus company and they dropped us off at Trapani harbor (il porto) instead of Trapani airport (l’aeroporto)! Out of fear of missing our flight, we took a taxi to airport. Then the hour flight to Rome. Then a half hour bus to the Rome metro. Last leg was 17 stops on the metro to my apartment.

We didn’t have the greatest experience ever in Sicily, but we made the best of it. Traveling had its ups and downs, and part of the fun (and stress) is the unpredictable things that happen while exploring a new place. Still it was a relief for the both of us to be back in Rome. Back on my home turf, I was ready to show her the la dolce vita.